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Greyhound puts brakes on Okotoks, western Canada service

The old advertising jingle ‘Go Greyhound and leave the driving to us’ will be no more in Okotoks.

The old advertising jingle ‘Go Greyhound and leave the driving to us’ will be no more in Okotoks. The bus company announced earlier this month it is discontinuing service in all of western Canada — including the Greyhound stop behind Dit ‘n’ Dat on Elizabeth Street — effective Oct. 31. Vicky Rosumowitsch was the lone person waiting for the bus at 6:23 a.m. in Okotoks on July 10, about 24 hours after Greyhound made its announcement. “I just stayed here for a couple of nights and I am taking it (the bus) to Calgary,” said Rosumowitsch, who lives in Brandon. “I have never taken a Greyhound bus.” There were only a handful of people on the bus, which is part of Greyhound’s Crowsnest corridor of Calgary-Lethbridge-Creston. The Okotoks Greyhound has stops daily at 6:30 a.m. to Calgary and approximately 11:30 p.m. from Calgary. In Greyhound’s 2018 fiscal year there were 173 outbound (originating) and 175 inbound (ending their journey) Okotoks trips. In a press release issued on July 9, Stuart Kendrick, senior vice-president, Greyhound Canada, stated ridership had considerably decreased in the past decade. “It is with a heavy heart that we announce these service impacts for the end of October,” Kendrick wrote. “We understand that these route changes are difficult for our customers. Despite best efforts over several years, ridership has dropped nearly 41 per cent across the country since 2010... Simply put, we can no longer operate unsustainable routes.” Greyhound also announced it would discontinue all deliveries and freight shipments effective this Halloween. Okotoks Mayor Bill Robinson was dismayed to hear that Greyhound was pulling the plug. He admitted he wasn’t aware of anyone using the service in Okotoks. However, he said the loss of Greyhound is a huge concern for some. “Not everyone has a vehicle,” Robertson said. “Hopefully, another service will be offered, but it will come from the private sector and it would likely be more expensive.” He said he has used Greyhound in the past, when he was stranded in Edmonton without a vehicle after taking the train from eastern Canada. He said the loss of Greyhound is another indication for public transit. “The more public transit the better it is,” Robertson said. “On-it was a good start and it shows the need for that type of service in the region.” Greyhound’s lone service in Western Canada is from Vancouver to Seattle.

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